Largs breakdown explanation / Mickey Oates rant

[Tiger 55]

One cylinder mate? Be water in the front plug that will. You need a fenda extenda etc etc...

Wrong-amundo. As the roadside technicians from the Largs run corectly diagnosed there was no spark to the rear pot. Since it had been in to Mickey Oates for a new coil once before, the bookies weren't taking any money on it being the same again and so it proved to be.

Dropped the bike off on Wednesday morning and discussed it with a mechanic who agreed that it was worth looking for a deeper problem than just replacing coils over and over again. He said he'd phone me in an hour. I never heard from or saw him again...

When I phoned them after 3 hours a different guy told me they were waiting for a part (the coil), maybe tomorrow, maybe the next day. Thanks for letting me know! I'll stop hanging around in the town then...

Lunchtime the next day I phone, again, and it's ready to be picked up. Thanks for letting me know, again. Anyway, in I go and the new guy has just changed the coil, didn't know about the previous problem, just sorted the symptom presented to him. What happened to the first guy? Did I imagine him?

And no, I can't have the service book back because they need it for the warranty claim and the man who deals with them is off. Can I come back for it next week? FFS!

In summary then the bike is running and I'm looking forward to the warranty expiring so I never have to set foot in ****ey Oates ever again.

"Mickey Oates Motorcycles believe that no matter what brand of bike you happen to ride we still want to have you as a customer." :smt046

[Dicky Ticker]

TWO on the same bike is bad,I can accept that millions of them are made and a few are bound to be defective but I would be looking for a more deep seated problem.Try and keep yourself on the right side of your warranty by raising the issue in writing to MO,a copy to Suzuki UK and inform them you have kept a copy on file for future ref

[-Ralph-]

In summary then the bike is running and I'm looking forward to the warranty expiring so I never have to set foot in ****ey Oates ever again.

Your not stuck with F***ey Oates mate, if your prepared to travel a bit. I had my coil and my front forks done at Saltire and I bought new from Cupar. They've been great, no complaint at all about doing warranty work on a Cupar supplied bike, and my new forks and yokes were nearly 900 quids worth which Suzuki pays them miserably for.

I overheard a conversation Callum (the boss) was having with one of the sales guys. It seems some Edinburgh based punter was arguing over a new gixxer being a couple of hundred quid cheaper at Cupar, and Callum was saying tell him to go and buy it there if he wants. Saltire's not going to make any money on the bike and he's not going to ride all the way to Cupar for servicing, so Saltire wins in the end.

The first time I approached them was with a warranty claim, as they weren't open yet when I bought my bike, they did it happily and now my service book is full of Saltire stamps and I'll recommend them to anybody.

[northwind]

Wonder what could cause 2 coils to fail... It's a weird one. How many SV coils have you ever heard of failing? I've heard of 2! One to ask the clever people I reckon...

Saltire are very good IMO... Just big enough to get some of the advantages of a big shop, small enough that they can't lose interest like it seems EVERY big shop ends up doing. I've barely used their workshop to be fair, but I know the guys there from other shops and they do good work.

They couldn't have been better when I had my puncture, I phoned up at 9am looking to get the tyre patched but later decided to get a new one instead, walked in at 12.30 with the tyre and wheel on my shoulder, expecting to have to come back at the end of the day, walked out 10 minutes later with a new tyre fitted on the wheel- when I explained the circumstances (day before the Aviemore run) one of the mechanics did the fitting for me on his lunch hour... And I got the fitting done for free too. The tyre price wasn't cheap but it also wasn't bad at all. And that's not exactly "special customer" stuff, they know me there and I suppose they know they can't BS me at all regarding the bike but at the same time, they don't make much money off me and they don't see me often.

[SVTONYB]

Just a thought ......

Is it possible that both coils came from same faulty batch and now that you have had them replaced the problem is gone forever

As i say just a thought, unless it was the coil that was replaced last time that went this time

[-Ralph-]

Just a thought ......

Is it possible that both coils came from same faulty batch and now that you have had them replaced the problem is gone forever

As i say just a thought, unless it was the coil that was replaced last time that went this time

I wouldn't be surprised at that as the Tiger's bike is approximately the same age as mine and the one OYB had (All 06 plate I think?) all have had the same breakdown. So thats 4 coils on 06 plate bikes in SV Ecosse alone.

[Tiger 55]

Try and keep yourself on the right side of your warranty by raising the issue in writing to MO
That is spectacular advice Mac, I will do just that. Ta.
Your not stuck with F***ey Oates mate, if your prepared to travel a bit.
Oh I'm prepared to travel, just not on one cylinder! I go to Cupar for servicing at the moment but only because my Dad lives in St Andrews and they let you ring the nuts off a courtesy bike. After the warranty expires I'm going to do as much as possbile myself (with PMs to Northy at every disaster) and get the rest done locally, probably at HMS in Hamilton.
both coils came from same faulty batch
Ah, the old faulty batch theory. That's where I'm hanging my hat but that could just be my eternally sunny, optimistic personality...

[northwind]

I thought OYB's bike spat off a fuel injector, rather than having a coil problem? Or was it cursed, and did both? :smt077

[on yer bike]

yeah, it was cursed! It's coil was fine, but yes when I was reving it with my new can it decided to spit out the fuel injector and make a big bang noise, lol. It was also cursed by the dreaded "sale of the bike" curse, guys keep your bike. don't ever sell it! EVER!!!! lol

[-Ralph-]

I thought OYB's bike spat off a fuel injector, rather than having a coil problem? Or was it cursed, and did both? :smt077

yeah, it was cursed! It's coil was fine, but yes when I was reving it with my new can it decided to spit out the fuel injector and make a big bang noise, lol. It was also cursed by the dreaded "sale of the bike" curse, guys keep your bike. don't ever sell it! EVER!!!! lol

Thats me told then, I thought it was a coil.....:smt102